DISEGNARECON volume 13/ n. 25 - December 2020 TRAVELING FROM THE ORIENT TO THE WEST AND RETURN. ISSN 1828-5961 Illyani Ibrahim Dr Illyani Ibrahim is an Assis- tant Professor in International Islamic University Malaysia. She is a registered corporate member of Institution of Ge- ospatial and Remote Sensing Society (IFGRSM) and an asso- ciate member in Malaysia In- stitute of Planners. Her recent research interest focuses on the application of Geograph- ical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing in environ- mental analysis and cultural conservation of heritage. Puteri Shireen Jahn Kassim An Associate Professor based at the Kulliyyah of Architec- ture and Environmental Design (KAED), International Islamic University Malaysia, and cur- rently based at the Applied Arts and Design programme. She is the main author of two recent books “The Resilience of Tradition” and “Modernity, Nation and Urban architectural Patterns of physical form of a Malay-rooted Urbanism in historical Melaka form”. She headed the archi- tecture and arts research clus- ter under the transdisciplinary grant (TRGS) by MOHE. This study discusses urbanism in pre-colonial Alias Abdullah Melaka city, focusing on pre-colonial Melaka city He is a Professor of Urban during the Malay Sultanate of Melaka. This study and Regional Planning at the aims to i) explore the urbanism of the pre-colo- International Islamic Universi- ty Malaysia (IIUM). He is also nial Melaka, and ii) study the matrix analysis of the Immediate Past President, pre-colonial Melaka. Data was gathered through Malaysian Institute of Planners secondary data content analysis drawn from pre- and a Registered Town Plan- vious works such as documented textual analyses ner with the Malaysian Board of Town Planners. His spe- and lithographs. The results demonstrate that cialization lies in the field of pre-colonial Melaka urbanism is characterised Urban and Regional Planning, by sustainable traditional urban forms such as Urban Design, Heritage and palatial fort, mosques, market, settlements, and Conservation, Municipal Man- agement as well as GIS, CAD padang. Furthermore, the close proximity from and SPDSS. the palace to the estuary and bridge reflects the idea that a palace serves as a defence building, centre of administration, and royal residence. Observations of pre-colonial Melaka urbanism Keywords: shows a degree of city planning, reflecting that pre-colonial Melaka; Malay Peninsula; urbanism; sustainable and natural growth is embedded in physical form; planning. the Melaka Sultanate era. http://disegnarecon.univaq.it DOI: http://doi.org/10.20365/disegnarecon.25.2020.21 DISEGNARECON volume 13/ n. 25 - December 2020 TRAVELING FROM THE ORIENT TO THE WEST AND RETURN. IBRAHIM - KASSIM - ABDULLAH 21.2 ISSN 1828-5961 Patterns of physical form of a Malay-rooted Urbanism in historical Melaka 1. INTRODUCTION the surviving Angkor and Majapahit, which are broadly known as the vestiges of a temple-based Urbanism is defined as “the characteristic way of civilisation. Yet, less is known of the ‘negri’ (state) life of city dwellers” or “the study of the physical or maritime-based cities such as Melaka; of their needs of urban societies’ (Wirth, 1938). With re- urban forms or patterns, cultural lifestyles, and gard to the definitions, this study observed from landscapes. the perspective of physical structure such as pop- Malay urban form constitutes several elements of ulation base, technology, and ecological order. conventional urban form such as fort and stock- There are several urbanism theories by earlier ade. During the era of Malay Kingdom, it was the scholars. Aristotle’s Politics described the num- centre of administration for the Malay rulers (Ha- ber of inhabitants beyond a specific limit will af- run & Jalil, 2014). The administrative centre is an fect the relationships between the inhabitants and area with administrative offices, residences of the the character of the town. A situation as such will noblemen, and palaces of the ruler. Harun and encourage individuals with different personalities Jalil (2014) underlined the characteristics of Ma- and background to interact with each other, caus- lay urban form; i) the locations of the Malay forts ing a probable gap between cultures, background, were close to rivers and hills; ii) mosques were and local. Meanwhile, the theory of Durkheim by essential landmarks in the city centres, iii) pal- Young (1962) suggested that an increase in density aces were built overlooking wide open spaces or tends to cause differentiation and specialisation squares. Fig. 1 - Territories of the Melaka Empire Sultanate within the population. Density has forced men to di- In the past, town similarly referred to fort (Harun versify their activities and increased the complexi- & Jalil, 2014). The term fort has numerous mean- To maintain a harmonious town, respects were ties social structure. Wirth (1938), an urban ecolo- ings depending on the sentence and the context of of paramount importance. Such a multicultural gist, claimed that urbanism is a response towards use (Nasir, 1993). In those days, a fort was a city community provided a colourful and unique legacy urban condition, either economic or functional. or state (Harun & Jalil, 2014). ‘Fort’ was also the of buildings that represented different traditions. He explained that a functional city affected the centre of administration, as it was in Melaka and Wiryomartono (2011) accounted that the tradi- density of a population; a more densely populat- Terengganu. Apart from that, fort also referred tional urban core in the Malay world to be geo- ed and heterogeneous community will emphasise to the centre of defence, which was usually sur- graphically featured with two settings; Negara the characteristics of urbanism in the community. rounded with cannons and tombs as it was in Per- Kota (State City) –a feudal agricultural monarchy Scholars have different views on the theory of ak and Johor. According to Reid (2015a), there are located in an inland area surrounded by agricul- urbanism. Urban form is defined by three funda- three types of fort; i) walled cities with a palace in tural communities, and Bandar (City)– a maritime mental physical elements; buildings, open spaces, the centre, many temples and streets, the market city with international trade as its core activities. plots or lots and streets, which can be understood is outside the walls, for example, Buddhism cit- These are centres that grew from the necessi- at different level of resolution (Moudon, 1997). ies, ii) walled only for royal palace, in Archipela- ties and efficiencies of trade, yet they still reflect With regards to the determinants of man-made go area, and iii) the market is central with large erased urbanism. The characteristics of urban- urban form, the focus is on a human intervention squares, palace is to the south, mosque is to the ism were lost due to the successive layering of that had influenced the shape of the urban form. west, particularly in Islamic cities such as Aceh colonial-linked patterns, leaving only a palimp- There are a number of human-made determi- and Bentan. In Melaka Sultanate, it was a combi- sest of the vernacular. The Malay urbanism pat- nants, such as the economy (trade), politics, reli- nation of (ii) and (iii). tern remains one of the lesser-discussed urban gions, defence, mobility, social power, and ethical In the Malay Peninsula, urbanism is the process of forms and landscapes. This particular urbanism issues (Morris, 1994). cultural integration towards a multicultural socie- is rooted in maritime route patterns and econom- Decades before the Melaka Sultanate period, ty, mixing lifestyle, tradition, and other character- ic growth, which grew and evolved from the re- urbanism in the South East Asia territories has istics (Wiryomartono, 2011). For example, in Mel- gions’ geographical, cultural, and political roots. focused on the ‘nagara-based’ (country-based) aka, the diversity of multiculturalism began since The type and meaning of urbanism in a Southeast civilisations. This particular focus links urban the earlier stage of Melaka Sultanate, as many Asian cultural context must arise from within in- planning, form, and cultural landscapes with the cultures met at the same geographical point for digenous influence, rather than external intro- temple and ceremonial-based centres, such as trading purposes. A cultural collision occurred. duction. There is also a contention that the cities http://disegnarecon.univaq.it DOI: http://doi.org/10.20365/disegnarecon.25.2020.21 DISEGNARECON volume 13/ n. 25 - December 2020 TRAVELING FROM THE ORIENT TO THE WEST AND RETURN. IBRAHIM - KASSIM - ABDULLAH 21.3 ISSN 1828-5961 Patterns of physical form of a Malay-rooted Urbanism in historical Melaka are crucial for tourism promotion and urban devel- The Malay Peninsula encompasses the whole ar- opment, in addition to being a part of one’s history. eas from Johor up to Kedah. Figure 1 shows the There is yet to be a variety of research done on territories of Melaka Empire Sultanate during historical urban form in Melaka. The urban histor- their Golden Age between the years of 1405 to ical field in Malaysia is primarily fragmented; only 1511. This map shows the territories under the several historical periods are studied while the control of Melaka Sultanate, including the Straits rest are ignored. Such a fragmented approach led of Melaka that separates Malay Peninsular from to an array of inconclusive information. This pa- the Indonesian island of Sumatera. It should be per intends to clarify that there were patterns and explained that the use of ‘urban’ refers to Mela- conscious attempt to plan and reorder the mari- ka town in the coastal area only, which does not time city. In addition, the pattern of culture such include the hinterland areas. During Melaka Sul- as markets is also described based on historical tanate, Melaka town includes Kuala Linggi to the sources such as hikayat (folklore). All in all, this hinterland and Kuala Kesang, which are also the Fig.